Kevin Powell Decides Against 2012 Congressional Run

Former ”Real World” reality TV star and hip-hop journalist Kevin Powell has announced that he will not run for Congress in 2012.

“While I am still very much dedicated to the issues I raised in our campaigns, I will not be running for Congress or any other office in 2012,” he wrote on his website this afternoon. “For the immediate future my heart is with political and community organizing. For the past year, I have been working very quietly with diverse fellow leaders of my generation, the generation behind me, and my team to build a new national organization that will address the concerns of progressive, multicultural America.”

Mr. Powell challenged long-time Brooklyn Rep. Ed Towns in 2008 and 2010, and made an abortive run in 2012, and had previously told The Politicker that he was gearing up for a rematch this year.

Mr. Powell got around 30 percent of the vote both times, which didn’t seriously challenge Mr. Towns, but would have made him a factor in 2012, when a lot of attention has been placed on Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries, who has all but announced that he will run against Mr. Towns.

The dropping out of Mr. Powell also means that Charles Barron, a City Councilman who nearly knocked off Mr. Towns in 2006, may run. He has previously told The Politicker that he would stand aside for Mr. Powell. Read More